Why Oxford or Cambridge?
• Range of courses
• World-class teaching – lectures,
seminars/classes, practicals
• Small-group teaching –
tutorials/supervisions
• Excellent facilities and resources
• Academic, pastoral and financial
support
• Wide range of extra-curricular options
• Excellent graduate opportunities,
irrespective of degree discipline
Universities and departments
As a student, you’re a member of
the University, a department and
a College.
• Course content
• Lectures, seminars, practicals and
projects
• Assessments and exams
• Award degrees
• Careers advice
Colleges
A College is like a mini campus,
providing a base for students.
• It admits students
• Offers academic and pastoral care
• Provides accommodation, dining and
recreation
• Organises small-group teaching
• Provides facilities for academic study
When considering Colleges, think about
where you’d like to live – open application
if you don’t mind.
Teaching & learning
Supervisions (Oxford and Cambridge)
Lectures Seminars
Independent study
Practicals (Labs)
Time in the library
• Largely theoretical (rather than vocational) degrees
• Very intensive 8-week terms
• Focus on independent study and learning
• Unique supervision teaching
• Assessment largely through exams
Academic life - Cambridge
A Cambridge or Oxford ‘type’?
• Forget the stereotypes
• Do not obsess about College choice
• Scholarly habits – reading, thinking, analysis
• Ensure subject ‘fit’
• The right course is crucial
• Exam record is crucial
Identifying: Questions for you to consider?
• Am I thinking and reading outside and beyond the curriculum requirements?
• Am I fully engaged with the subject I am applying for?
• Am I interested in looking more deeply into the subject?
• Have I made the right subject choices at A level?
• Do I have sufficient knowledge and skill?
• Can I think clearly and analytically?
• Am I flexible enough in my thinking to respond to new ideas and evidence?
Prior academic achievement
Predicted grades
Personal statement
Teacher’s reference
Admissions tests/assessments
Written work
Interview(s)
What information do
Cambridge & Oxford use?
CONTEXTUAL
DATA
What is crucial for application success?
• Right subject
• Excellent examination record
• Read and think – critically and
analytically
• Embed learning and revision
Application statistics
University of Cambridge – 2015 cycle
A Level
Grades
Applications Offers Accepts
A*A*A* 3,317 1,780 1,612
A*A*A 2,280 739 616
A*AA 1,909 398 314
What to do in Year 12
• Visit universities
• Make well informed subject choice -
• Research subject – same named courses can be different at each
university
• Look at entry requirements closely
• Demonstrate academic interest
• Consider College/open application
• Research application process, dates and deadlines
What can you do?
• Discussion groups – critical thinking and discussion skills
• Access to a highly motivated and achieving peer group who share your interests – societies at school
• Directed reading with journals and books of interest beyond the syllabus
• Explore online resources highlighting relevant articles, events and news stories
• Dissertation/extended writing/ the EPQ/writing for the Millhillian/History Magazine/Science Magazine – or start your own!
• Apply for summer schools, masterclasses and taster days
Stretch yourself – wider/deeper reading
•Additional directed reading is crucial to informed choices and application success – potential applicants should keep a reading journal
•Demonstrate an interest outside confines of syllabus
•Reading must be critical and analytical
• What is the argument in the book/article?
• What is the supporting evidence? Flaws?
• What does the applicant think?
Year 13
• Finalise academic personal statement & application
• Practice written assessment format under timed conditions
• Practice challenging academic conversations which will stretch your
knowledge
• Re-read personal statement before interview
• Make Cambridge/Oxford aware of any extenuating circumstances
• Adhere to dates and deadlines!
The application process: Choosing a course
www.cam.ac.uk/apply
Course College Admission
assessment registration
UCAS:
15
October
SAQ:
22
October
Written work and/or admission
assessment
Interview (Dec)
Decision (Jan)
• Think about what you enjoy
• Look at course details
• Research and explore
Choosing a College – where would you like to live?
• 29 undergraduate Colleges
• Differ in terms of:
• accommodation
• appearance
• facilities
• size (number of students)
• Instinct
• Open application
www.cam.ac.uk/choosingacollege
Course College Admission
assessment registration
UCAS:
15
October
SAQ:
22
October
Written work and/or admission
assessment
Interview (Dec)
Decision (Jan)
Pre-interview assessment registration
• BMAT registration deadline
1 October 2016
• Registration deadline for others
15 October 2017
• Assessments taken
2 November 2017
Course College Admissions assessment registration
UCAS:
15
October
SAQ:
22
October
Written work and/or admission
assessment
Interview (Dec)
Decision (Jan)
Pre-interview written assessments
• Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic
• Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
• Chemical Engineering
• Economics
• Engineering
• English (ELAT)
• Geography
• History
• History and Modern Languages
• History and Politics
• Human, Social, and Political Sciences
• Medicine (BMAT)
• Natural Sciences
• Psychological and Behavioural Sciences
• Veterinary Medicine (not BMAT – now NSAA)
www.cam.ac.uk/assessment
Why use admissions assessments?
Differentiate between well-qualified candidates
A common set of data with which to compare applicants to a
specific course
To stretch and challenge applicants
Assess the aptitude and potential of candidates
If appropriate, assess subject knowledge and understanding
www.cam.ac.uk/assessment
Admissions assessments:
How can applicants prepare?
• Type of test/assessment
• Knowledge or aptitude/skills?
• Type of questions
• MCQ? Short answer? Long answer? Essay?
• Practice using sample/past papers
• Under timed conditions
Information used in selection
Oxford & Cambridge consider every
application individually, taking all aspects
into account:
• Academic record
• Personal statement
• Teacher ’s reference
• Admissions assessment results (where
required)
• Written work (where required)
• Contextual data
• Interview (if interviewed)
No part of an application is considered in
isolation – all available information is
looked at together before decisions are
made.
Offers for Cambridge
A Levels A*AA for Arts/Humanities (except Economics)
A*A*A for Sciences
Offers for other Competitive
Courses/Universities
A Levels A*AA for Arts/Humanities
A*A*A for Sciences
UCAS application
Completed online – application deadline 15 October
Personal statement
• Be honest and write with integrity
• Cover your interest in your course, relevant subjects you have studied,
super-curricular exploration
• Extra-curricular activities not relevant to the course applied for aren’t
taken into account in our considerations
www.cam.ac.uk/apply
Course College Admission
assessment registration
UCAS:
15
October
SAQ:
22
October
Written work and/or admission
assessment
Interview (Dec)
Decision (Jan)
For example
‘I am fascinated by the fundamental questions Philosophy asks, such as
what actually exists, or what principles determine how we act. Many of
the aspects I find interesting in other subjects are essentially
philosophical concerns relating to the premises of those topics. Doing a
mixture of arts and sciences has given me the opportunity to explore a
breadth of philosophical issues, ranging from the implications of
evolution to concepts of beauty.’
As opposed to
‘I had never understood the point of studying the school’s curriculum as I
could never relate these topics to normal life. Not until I heard from
someone that medicine is the ultimate science that I started looking into
the subject. Hardly had I read books and articles about it than I realized
medicine is the most pragmatic among thousands of subjects in the
world.’
References
• Areas of particular strength
• Relating to the relevant subject selection criteria is helpful
• How strong a candidate is relative to peers
(e.g. ‘one of the top three students in a very strong cohort’ or
‘the best historian I have taught during my career’.
• Contextual achievement
• Additional information only required if change of circumstances
post-application
• Remember our Extenuating Circumstances Form
In particular
• The most helpful references:
• are consistent and specific, indicating where an applicant lies in relation to his/her peers
• emphasise the academic and the subject-related
• tell us about organisation and focus
• Back the genuinely exceptional to the hilt but be realistic
• Trust us to read between the lines
• Ensure a ‘fit’ between what you say and the grades achieved and what the student tells us
Extenuating Circumstances Scheme
To be used where an applicant's education has been significantly disrupted
or disadvantaged through health or personal problems, disability or
difficulties with schooling e.g.
• a serious, acute or chronic medical condition (especially since the age of 14)
which caused significant educational disruption
• significant caring responsibilities, or recent bereavement or serious illness within
close family
• serious disruption to educational provision at school/college
• other circumstances where serious disruption has occurred – schools/colleges
are welcome to contact a College admissions office to discuss an applicant's
particular circumstances
Contextual data
• 80%+ of our home applicants are interviewed
• Decisions are based on academic record and individual context.
• Flags:
• Care
• 2 x Postcode data, both linked to OFFA Targets
• Extenuating Circumstances Form (ECF)
• GCSE school performance
• Cambridge/Oxford success
This data is used to fairly
assess disadvantaged
candidates, not to
discriminate against those
who have not experienced
disadvantage.
Supplementary Application Questionnaire (SAQ)
• Used to collect information not in the UCAS application but useful when
assessing applicants, including:
• topics covered in AS/A Level
(or equivalent) courses
• optional Cambridge-specific
personal statement
• Ensures consistent information about all our applicants
• Completed online, in multiple sessions if you want
www.cam.ac.uk/saq
Course College Admission
assessment registration
UCAS:
15
October
SAQ:
22
October
Written work and/or admission
assessment
Interview (Dec)
Decision (Jan)
Written work and at-interview assessments
www.cam.ac.uk/assessment
At-interview written assessments
• Archaeology
• Architecture
• Classics
• Computer Science
• Education
• History and Modern Languages
• History of Art
• Land Economy
• Law
• Linguistics
• Modern and Medieval Languages
• Philosophy
• Theology, Religion and Philosophy of
Religion
Mathematics/Music – assessment tasks at
interview
Course College Admission
assessment registration
UCAS:
15
October
SAQ:
22
October
Written work and/or admission
assessment
Interview (Dec)
Decision (Jan)
At-interview written assessments:
• no need to register in advance
• taken when you’re in Cambridge for
interview (if interviewed)
Written work:
• for a number of our courses you may be
asked to submit one or two examples of
your written work from a relevant A
Level course
Interviews
• Usually first three weeks of December
• One, two or three interviews
• Each 20-40 minutes
• Conducted by academics
• Predominantly
academic and subject-focused
No trick questions and not the ‘final hurdle’
www.cam.ac.uk/interviews
Course College Admission
assessment registration
UCAS:
15
October
SAQ:
22
October
Written work and/or admission
assessment
Interview (Dec)
Decision (Jan)
Why interview?
• How do applicants who look very similar on paper differ from one another?
• Are the applicant’s aptitudes and interests suitable for the course to which they
have applied?
• Does the applicant have the potential to study their chosen subject at a high
level?
• Can the applicant think independently, flexibly and critically and assimilate new
ideas or apply existing concepts to challenging new questions?
• Does the ‘supervision’ style of learning suit the applicant?
• Does the applicant display vocation/professional commitment (where
appropriate)?
Interviews: What are Admissions Tutors looking for?
• Academic ability and potential to be successful
• Self-motivation, commitment and serious interest in the chosen course
• Ability to think independently and critically
• Use of existing knowledge to assess new problems
• Work through difficult issues in dialogue
Interviews: What they are NOT
• Full of trick questions with obscure answers
• A public speaking or debating contest
• A test of how applicants speak, dress, sit, or shake hands
• A cultural or social test of what type of person they are
• Scripted and identical for all applicants
Beware scare stories and rumours!
Interviews: what to expect
SUBJECT-SPECIFIC INTERVIEW
Discussion
based on
academic
interests
mentioned in
personal
statement
Assess knowledge
and understanding
of subject and flexibility
of thought
Challenging
questions
relating to A-
level courses
Sample teaching
session – like a
supervision
Application of
existing knowledge
to new situations
Sciences:
problems to work
through
Arts: perhaps a
text to discuss
Discussion of
any submitted
essays
Sciences: a specimen to
discuss
Interviews: what to expect
NOTE: some
Colleges/subjects
do not have a
more general
interview May not be
with
someone
who teaches
subject
applied for
…but may
include further
subject-based
discussion
Why this course?
IT IS STILL AN ACADEMIC
INTERVIEW, DESIGNED TO
TEST ACADEMIC
POTENTIAL
Discussion of your
personal
statement
The future (if
career plans
mentioned or
application for
deferred entry)
Wider academic
interests and
reading
GENERAL ACADEMIC INTERVIEW
Recent academic work
Wider reading, relevant activities or work experience
The subject in the wider world
Any questions they may have
Encourage critical thinking
Use many sources of information
Know their personal statement
Practice
Advance preparation for interview
Make sure the student knows where they need to be and when
Look at the UCAS form and written work (potential sources of
questions)
Look at department information on website
Try to be ready to think on their feet, and think through problems
logically
Be as relaxed as possible
Preparation just before interview
Encourage students to:
Listen and take time to think
Try to answer with clarity and focus
Be willing to explain their thinking
Concentrate on the current question
Ask questions if they need to
What matters is content not style
Self-reflect
On the day
Moderation and the Pool(s)
• Spreadsheets allow for consideration of the gathered field
• Intensive December discussion
• Extensive transfers of students in January
• Further limited transfers in August
Application outcome
The Colleges are responsible for all undergraduate admissions decisions, and notify students of the outcome of their application in January
www.cam.ac.uk/apply
1. You may be made an offer
• May be from the College you applied/was allocated to, or from a different College as a result of your application being ‘pooled’
• Conditional/unconditional
2. You may be unsuccessful
• Don’t be deterred from applying by the prospect of not being successful – we can only offer places to those who apply!
Course College Admission
assessment registration
UCAS:
15
October
SAQ:
22
October
Written work and/or admission
assessment
Interview (Dec)
Decision (Jan)
Successful Applications
Key points for success
• Strong exam results
• Choice of subject
• Wider reading
• Revision in advance of interview
Common pitfalls
• Wrong degree subject chosen
• Unsuitable A-level choices, too many
subjects in Year 12 or low grades
• Inconsistent reference
• Lack of wider reading and critical
engagement
• Lack of revision before interview
• Rehearsed answers at interview, lack
of clarity or flexibility of thought